In the past, electrical connectors for air bag devices of automobiles, such as is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. 3-29896, for example, are known. The prior electrical connector is provided with a short contact which short-circuits the contacts while they are in the open state so that even if a current is unexpectedly induced in the contacts during inspection or assembly of the air bag device, this will not cause malfunctioning of the air bag. The known short contact is in contact with a multiplicity of contacts that are short-circuited when the electrical connector that contains them is separated from the other mating half of the electrical connector. When the electrical connector is fitted together with the mating electrical connector, the short contact is elastically deformed by a contact-canceling part provided in the mating electrical connector so that it no longer touches the short-circuited contacts. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a space that allows the displacement of the short contact inside the insulated housing in which it is placed.
Generally, the contacts accommodated inside the insulated housing are secured by a securing part provided inside the insulated housing. But in situations where the connector will be exposed to a normally vibrating state, like the electrical connectors used in the engine compartment of an automobile, for example, more reliable prevention of contact separation is required. To effect this more reliable prevention of contact separation, electrical connectors equipped with a double lock part that secures the contacts, in addition to the contact securing part inside the insulated housing, are known.
The aforementioned double lock part includes a type that is inserted from the rear end of the insulated housing in the longitudinal direction of the contacts that are accommodated inside the insulated housing, and a type that is inserted into the insulated housing from the side, almost perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the contacts. But, in recent years, the use of a side-insertion type double lock part has been required because this type can prevent separation in a reliable and highly trustworthy manner.
Providing a double lock part of the aforementioned side-insertion type is required even in the case of the above-mentioned electrical connectors used in the air bag device of automobiles. But, in the past, space limitations made it difficult to provide a double lock part in a way that did not interfere with the short contact, which contact requires a space that permits its displacement as indicated above.
In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with a short contact in which a double lock part of the side-insertion type can be easily provided.